The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1887-04-14
What 1t Means.
Cleveland Plain Dealer.

- aEaC lSV6laIu ldln DcaleIS |
The result of the election in Gin
cinnati is one that politicians of
both parties may proftabiy con-
slider. 1t is significant of "a few
things that politicians ought to
understand.
The Republican candidate for
mayor is barely elected in a city
that one year ago gave 5000 Re
publican majority. The Demo
cratic party elected nothing. and
shows up in a demoralized condi-
ton some 1000 votes short of its
usual strength. A new party, Or
ganized within the past three
months, without leaders, without
party machinery of any kind, polls
10000 votes, shows a greater
strength than the Democrats and
comes within 600 votes of electing
its candidate for mayor. This
phenomenal exploit of the Labor
party in Cincinnati has a mean
ing.
1t is not that this great body OF
voters we're attracted to the labor
reform party because of any pecu-
liar political doctrines advocated
by that party. 1t is fair to pre-
sumo that nine-tenths Of those
who voted for the labor candidates
gave no thought to the political
declarations of that party and car
ed little or nothing about them
They did not vote for the slabor
candidates because they had any
particular care as to the future of
the labor party, but simply as a
protest against the two old parties
which in Cincinnati have forfeited
the respect and confidence of hon
est citizens.
The plain truth is that the Dem
~ocratic party of Cincinnati has
been wrecked by dishonest meth
DDS, the evil counsels of tie news
paper organs and the work of
ringsters who have been using it
for their own purposes. Its or
ganization has been broken up, its
best men disguised and the people
have repudiated it as an organiza-
ton not fit to be trusted. The
Republican party is no better eX-
cept that the Generalization has
not gone so far, nor have the de.
structive influences had time to
complete their work. But the Re.
publican party of Cincinnatiis &
ring ruled organization, its leaders
are spoilsmen of the worst type
and run the party for the purposes
of plurder.
The politics of Hamilton coun
ty have become thoroughly disrep
utable. They are the scandal o
the whole country, and there is ne
honesty org decency in them. 1
is no wonder that twelve Thousand
voters of Cincinnati went over tx
the new Labor party in sheer dis
gust with the existing order o
things, and in the hope that tn
third party, being new, might a
least be clean, and in the though
} that its rule could not possibl,
make things worse than they hav,
been. The largeness of the Labo
vote in Cincinnati is no indication
of any extraordinary strength in
distinctively labor movement il
politics, or that any formidasl
third party is likely to arise. TIL
$4,000 votes cast for the Labor tick
ct simply mean that there is 81
overwhelming sentiment in tina
city in favor of honest government
and decent politics, and that nei
Their of the old parties in Cincin
natl, as now organized and con
trolled, a be trusted.
The lesson ought not to be los
upon the Democrats of Cincinnati
1t ought to be a reminder to tn
politicians of both the old partie
everywhere that it.pays a party t.
. be respectable and to practice hon
est methods.